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Traditional Cooking Class with Minerva Lopez

Name: Traditional Cooking Class with Minerva Lopez
Brand: Minerva Lopez
SKU: 313255P1
Price: 119.48 USD
Rating: 5.0 (110 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceOaxaca City, Mexico

Private Class of Traditional Oaxaca Cuisine

6 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Sample Menu

Starter

House chocolate with bread

A chocolate drink is served accompanied with traditional bread

Starter

hand tortillas

Learn to make tortillas by hand on a clay griddle or pre-Hispanic stove

Main

OPTION 1 Oaxacan Mole

available moles(10) you can choose 1 of them BLACK MOLE reddish chichilo green yellow yellow mixe stew nutty manchamanteles

Main

Option 2 Experience with corn

2 different sauces are prepared with endemic chilies and tomatoes Quedillas with pumpkin flower and cheese memelitas yellow mole

Main

OPTION 3 OAXACAN TAMALES

The black mole tamale is prepared in banana leaf and two more to choose from -green sauce -slices of chili -bean -sweet

Main

OPTION 4 DISH OF YOUR CHOICE

ASK ABOUT THE SEASONAL INGREDIENTS AND DISHES

Dessert

Typical Seasonal Dessert

Native or exotic fruits that we buy in the market, seasonal desserts Example roasted bananas Corn dessert (nicoatole) Oaxacan sweets

What's Included

Lunch
Alcoholic Beverages
Air-conditioned vehicle
Local Market Tour
seasonal dessert
Snacks
Seasonal fruit waters
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free menu option

Beer or soda

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Gral. Antonio de León 1, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax., Mexico
WE CAN AGREE ON A PLACE OF DEPARTURE OR THE ZOCALO OF THE CD OF OAXACA, IN FRONT OF THE CATHEDRAL. ALSO IN THE LESCAS CO TOURS OFFICE, THEY ARE FRIENDS OF MINE AND CAN WAIT IN THEIR OFFICE ANTONIO DE LEON NO. 1 LOCAL I IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS YOU CAN CONTACT ME BY CALL OR WHATSAPP +529512903409

Start time

09:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Operated by Minerva Lopez

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Wendy_C

This was the single best highlight of a 2 week Mexico trip. Entirely worth the cost and devoting the day to it. Was amazing to go to a local market with Minerva and then go to her beautiful home to cook with her and her daughters. The skills, techniques, and amazing food we will take away for a lifetime. Thank you Minerva and daughters for making this so memorable.

Reviews

5.0

110 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 110 reviews

Wonderful traditional Oaxaca cooking school

Michael_S, Apr 2024

The day we spent with Minerva was the highlight of our trip to Oaxaca. It was incredible to learn first hand by actually doing the work the traditional way to make mole negra. The day started meeting at the cathedral with Minerva and our wonderful translator Liz, we then took a comfortable minibus to the largest food market in Oaxaca that you would never get to go to without a local. We shopped for the fresh ingredients for the mole and Minerva took us on a tour of vendors and explained the differences of the different chillies, we tasted food cheese, mangos so ripe they melted in the mouth and grasshoppers in lime and spice. We then went back to her beautiful garden outdoor kitchen in a lovely courtyard and enjoyed a traditional hot chocolate to get us ready to cook. We learned ever step of cooking the mole from toasting the chillies. Creating the ash from the stems and seeds for the color. Frying the plantain for the dish and finally putting it all together for a wonderful family style meal with cold beer, wonderful mezcal cocktails and hybiscus tea It was one of the best days i have spent

Delicious fun

Raphael_S, Apr 2024

Wonderful woman and teacher. Experience the market with her then to her beautiful home to make delicious mole from scratch with produce she bought with us. Relaxing and enjoyable hands on experience.

Highly Recommend this!

Wells_L, Apr 2024

We loved this whole experience! Shopping at a Mercado utilized mostly by local, then transported to Minerva’s beautiful outdoor kitchen area, getting to know our fellow travelers who also enjoy cooking was all wonder. We were actively involved, the food was delicious, as was the mezcal cocktail. Sandy translates to English and Minerva’s daughters also provided some assistance. Highly recommend!

An Average Cooking Class

Anonymous, Apr 2024

I've done lots of cooking classes around the world, including 2 in Oaxaca. Compared to all the other classes I've done, this one is about average. Not bad but also not great either. Just ok. It is one of the more expensive classes in Oaxaca, so I was expecting it to be better than it was. My friend and I chose this class because of Minerva--the description made it sound like she was this warm and friendly person who made you feel like part of her family (not literally) and would enthusiastically teach us about the food of Oaxaca. Instead, I found her to be rather cold, distant, and unenthusiastic. She rarely interacted with us. The tour started with meeting the interpreter at a tour agency near the Zocalo. The instructions on where to meet were rather confusing. I thought we were supposed to meet in front of the Cathedral. There were only 3 of us in the cooking class. We then took a van to Abastos Market, where we met Minerva. We walked around the market while Minerva bought ingredients. Sometimes Minerva would point out things in the market and we would ask questions. But overall, she rarely spoke to us during the market visit. After that, we went to Minerva's house in a village outside of Oaxaca City. The cooking school was very nice--lovely decorations and very colorful. I loved that it was outside. We tried some hot chocolate and bread, which were both very good. Then we started cooking. We cooked only one dish--mole estofado--all together. Each person did a bit of the whole process. For example, one person stirred the pot, another chopped the vegetables, and so on. In all the cooking classes I've done, each person made their own dish. I was disappointed that we couldn't each make our own dish, but I've found that the way we did it at Minerva's is typical for cooking classes in Oaxaca. Minerva was actually training another person to be a cooking teacher during our class. She rarely interacted with us. The description of the course said that we would be making tortillas. At first, Minerva wasn't going to have us make tortillas but then one person in the group asked about it, so then I guess they felt like they needed to teach us how to make tortillas. It was rather odd. After we cooked the food, the students and interpreter and another student from another cooking class sat down to eat together. Minerva did not eat with us. The dish we made was good but not out-of-this-world. Overall, the cooking class was just average.

Minerva and her team were...

Susana_S, Apr 2024

Minerva and her team were very kind and explained everything very well. My daughter and I learned a lot. It was an amazing experience. Her daughter Evelyn was her translator. She did a great job. Memories will be cherished. Amazing food!

Amazing cooking experience

joseph_s, Mar 2024

Amazing day, started with a tour of the local market getting ingredients and then went to Minervas house where we learned how to cook some traditional dishes from scratch. Dishes I can’t wait to cook when back at home. Tour guides were excellent. Just myself and my wife on the class so was very personal.

Amazing highlight of 2 week Mexico trip

Wendy_C, Mar 2024

If you have any interest in Oaxacan cuisine, definitely do this!

KRISTINA_E, Mar 2024

This was one of the best experiences I have ever had traveling!! We were able to get a peek inside the Mercado de Abastos, where locals shop, and it really does feel more authentic than the other markets. Then, we went to Minerva's house and got to work making mole... Except it doesn't even feel like work because it was so fun! You are fed snacks and drinks throughout, so you don't get too hungry while you smell the wonderful aromas of the toasted nuts and herbs! We even went to the local business where they grind all of the ingredients together! A truly unique and precious experience! Minerva and her family are so kind and wonderful! Full disclosure:. I am a chef, and I am really interested in regional cuisine, so I found this class to be an incredible experience. I think that people would enjoy it a lot, even if they aren't as obsessed with cooking as I am... I think other reviews can speak to that, and the other group members with me seemed very pleased!

A wonderful experience

Barbara_G, Mar 2024

From start to finish our experience was great. Minerva was a personable and gracious host, a fabulous chef and a pleasure to spend the time with. We enjoyed shopping in the market, helping prepare the ingredients, cooking and definitely eating with Minerva!

Best Cooking Class in Oaxaca

Sally_G, Mar 2024

The cooking was very educational and delicious! We all got to participate in the cooking. Our translator Allison was wonderful. The trip to the market before the class was a perfect start to the day. Highly recommend you make this a must do on your Oaxaca trip!

A wonderful cooking class experience!

Katherine_B, Feb 2024

Gorgeous setting, far from the city. A great chance to see a chef's outdoor kitchen and beautiful garden, plus yummy food and instructions to take home. Can't ask for anything more!

Wonderful warm hostess. Made tamales 3 ways. Learned a lot and great fun!

Jamie_C, Feb 2024

Tour of market to buy ingredients, then to minerva's beautiful open garden. All of us has a wonderful day!

What an awesome day

Dan_D, Feb 2024

We had a brilliant day with Minerva yesterday. After meeting in the morning we were taken to a cool market and bought the ingredients for the day, and sampled lots of local ingredients and flavours. My partner, who is Mexican, tried some things that even she had never seen before. After the market we were taken to Minerva’s beautiful house, complete with fruit trees (I’d never seen pomegranates growing before) and two awesome little dogs. We cooked as a team (there were seven of us, three groups) each taking turns to make a component of the food, which as I’m sure is obvious was incredible (trust me, you will not go away hungry!). Personally the draw for me was being able to be hands on with equipment and ingredients I would otherwise not have the chance to go near. Minerva and her team were amazing and so welcoming, making sure we were all taken care of, our questions were answered and that we all had a chance to get involved. Can’t recommend this enough, it was an amazing experience.

Experience of a lifetime

MatsKjesrud, Feb 2024

This experience really immerses you into the daily life of an Oaxacan, starting by visiting the market to pick up the freshest ingredients and then going back to Minerva's beautiful house and being welcomed by her family. We learned how to cook traditional dishes, and they all tasted like nothing else. Definitely an experience of a lifetime! Now I want an outside kitchen like Minerva's.

Minerva is AWESOME!!

Michael_B, Feb 2024

Minerva and all of her assistants were awesome. The experience of the market and her assistance in purchasing dried chilies was great. Her home kitchen was clean, well stocked and perfect. I wasn’t feeling well due to a cold and they couldn’t do enough for me and my wife.

The chef was wonderful...

Amy_S, Feb 2024

The chef was wonderful and the tour guide was so easy to understand. Our trip to the market was great.

It will be a hilight of your trip to Oaxaca😋

Sharon_G, Jan 2024

Visiting her wonderful home with several outdoor kitchens. She and her crew were amazingly organized, friendly, engaged with each one of us. This was a class where we all participated in meeting the best Moray Niro I have ever tasted. She created an atmosphere, that was friendly, fun and educational.

Excellent cooking class.

Marsha_M, Jan 2024

Minerva is an excellent teacher. She is an expert on regional cuisine. She is both warm and precise. All aspects of this class are well thought out with thorough preparation.

HIGHLY Recommed this experience!

Stephanie_D, Jan 2024

Wow what a wonderful experience with Minerva and her team! I discovered the world of Mole and the culture surrounding it in the most beautiful surrounding Minerva's family home. From the moment we were picked up to the drop-off, the entire group was treated like family, and all of our needs were taken care of. It was a wonderful experience, and I HIGHLY recommend it!

Remarkable experience.

Ruben_O, Jan 2024

This was a true experience beyond a cooking class. Minerva was extremely informative and welcoming. It was a pleasure learning from her and sharing her space.